Live: Sound Team "Handful of Billions"

One minute and eight seconds into the final song off Movie Monster, Matt Oliver yells out, "RADIO!" and every time I hear it, I think of Bono. I don't listen to much U2 and for the most part, Sound Team don't remind me of an Irish rock band but this song really makes me feel like they could be as big (or at least pretty close...). It's catchy, it's complex, and it's my favorite song on the album.

Track Review: Au Revoir Simone "Through the Backyards"

Youtube Link
MP3 - Au Revoir Simone "Through the Backyards"

Youtube Link
MP3 - Au Revoir Simone "Through the Backyards"

Track Review: The Blow "Pile of Gold"

So, this is the first "mp3 post" for The Anchor Center. Yes, it's a little like Pop-Up Video or maybe an Adult Swim commercial...but it's fun, it's different, and it's the only way I know how to do it.


Youtube Link
MP3 - The Blow "Pile of Gold"

Youtube Link
MP3 - The Blow "Pile of Gold"

Upcoming Show: Band of Horses @ Alchemize

Alchemize returns two weeks from today!!


Youtube link
And it's now located at 3929 Spring Grove Ave. in Northside. That's Cincinnati, Ohio in case you were wondering.

Youtube link
And it's now located at 3929 Spring Grove Ave. in Northside. That's Cincinnati, Ohio in case you were wondering.

Feature: The Spinto Band

I'm beginning to feel like a "second-run" blog. Like Voxtrot before them, The Spinto Band are yet another band that has already lost its new car smell. (Enough with the analogies!) Apparently, they're pretty popular in Europe. They also helped sell some toaster ovens and lawn mowers for Sears. Again, old news.

And yet, here I am, posting an interview feature of a band that everyone has already talked about. Why? Because I still like them and listen to them. "Crack the Whip" and "Brown Boxes" are great little pop-rock songs. And "Oh Mandy" is better than any of the CYHSY songs it always gets compared to. I'm not sure if I'm subconciously starting a campaign to lengthen the average lifespan of blog-bands, but if I am, I'd like to think it's because of bands like this one.

Voxtrot "Raised by Wolves" - Live

At this point, Voxtrot are old news. They're blogosphere veterans...legends even. They've made the rounds. They "blew up" and now they've already faded out of the limelight. Clearly, that's the gift and the curse of blogs. They pick you up quick and early but they drop you just as fast.

I'm optimistic, however, that Voxtrot will make a triumphant return. They're still touring a lot. (They've been to Cincinnati twice in the past 6 months!) Plus, they'll be recording their debut album in November. Chances are they'll be back on the Elbows "What's Hot?" list in early 2007. For now, here's a splendid performance of the title track from one of their two bloggily-acclaimed EP's, Raised by Wolves.


Here's an mp3 of the video - Raised by Wolves (Live - 7/27/06)

Here's an mp3 of the video - Raised by Wolves (Live - 7/27/06)

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

I've always kind of wished Indianapolis, IN had a huge indie rock music scene. Not because I went to college in central Indiana, and not because I now live in Cincinnati, a mere 111.3 miles from the Hoosier capital. No, I wish Indianapolis was the next Seattle/New York/Montreal/Silverlake(?)/Texas(?!) so I could talk about that amazing Indy indie sound. It would be so wonderfully confusing, like an Abbott & Costello joke for the Pitchfork generation.

Schreiber: Have you heard that new Indy band?
DiCrescenzo: The one based in Brooklyn?
Schreiber: No, they're Indy-based.
DiCrescenzo: Right, the Brooklyn band that's still unsigned.
Schreiber: No, the Indy band signed to Capitol!
DiCrescenzo: Sorry, but they stopped being an indie band when they signed to Capitol.
Schreiber: They're the same Indy band they've always been!
DiCrescenzo: It's so hard to tell what's considered indie these days...

You get the idea. Well, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's is without question the best thing I've heard from the Indy indie scene. It doesn't hurt that they're also the ONLY thing. M&NSAS is a big band (8 members on stage), so they've been compared to other big bands, but they definitely have a charm that sets them apart. I say it's because they're from the midwest and have a moral 'substance' often lacking in coastal bands. Also, they're spectacular live.


Here's the AOL interview we talked about.